FAQs
What is home staging?
Home staging is the process of preparing a home for sale by highlighting its best features and creating an environment that speaks to a buyer’s psychology. Think of it like packaging a product. To stand out in a competitive market, it has to be as appealing as possible and stand out from the crowd. Home staging focuses on what the buyer will need to see and feel when they walk through a home to inspire them to make an offer right away.
Do I really need a home stager?
When you don’t stage your home, you cheat yourself by losing money. Staging is done in your best interest, as it earns back home equity. A home is the most important and expensive thing we buy, so why not have it stand out from the competition by investing now? That way you will have more money to spend on your new home at a faster pace, alleviating carrying costs. The ROSI (Return on Staging Investment) is less than the cost of your first price reduction which is 10-20% on average. Don’t undervalue the staging process unless you are prepared to accept less than what your property is worth. We can do as little or as much as you like depending on your preferences and budget.
How will home staging affect my selling price?
Most staged homes end up selling for the listing price or close to it – sometimes even above it. A staged home has a higher perceived value, so you can list the home for what it’s truly worth. A non-staged home will look like it needs more work, which often leads to deductions for repairs and the like so buyers have room to make improvements.
I get compliments on my home all the time, why would I need a home stager?
Staging a home for sale and decorating a home for living are two entirely different situations. When you put your property on the market, you have to appeal to the widest audience to capture the interest of the one buyer who wants to buy your house. Doing so involves being detached and unemotional. The fact of the matter is, selling your home isn’t about you, it’s about what the buyer wants, and stagers provide that third party objective opinion.
Does home staging really work?
Several studies show that home staging helps homes sell faster and for more money than non-staged homes. Once staged, homes spend an average of 73% less time on the market and buyers are willing to spend 1% to 5% more of the dollar value on a staged home than a non-staged home. In the competitive housing market of today, home staging is one of the best marketing strategies at your disposal.
How do I know if I need home staging?
Every home can benefit from home staging to increase its appeal to buyers. Even the most beautifully decorated and organized homes can benefit from it because what makes a home appealing while it’s on the market is different from what makes it appealing while someone is living in it. Empty homes benefit from it, too, because staging helps buyers visualize how to set up their furniture in it and understand the size of each room better.
My neighbor’s house sold without staging, why can’t mine?
That’s great! What you don’t know is whether they made as much money on it as they could have. Why gamble with the equity in your home? A ton of statistics support the claim that staging works when homes are properly staged as it leaves a lasting impression and stimulates multiple offers.
What is the difference between home staging and decorating?
Home staging is about making a home appealing to the widest range of buyers possible while decorating focuses on one person’s personal taste. In home staging, everything is kept neutral so that buyers can imagine their own décor in its place rather than getting distracted by someone else’s style. While the homeowner may love their décor, some buyers may have a hard time picturing their own décor in its place and become turned off from the home entirely.
Can’t I just do some decluttering?
While decluttering is an important part of home staging, it is only one step in the process. There are a lot of other components that make home staging truly effective as a marketing tool, such as repairs, color, décor, and small details that create a sense of home and capture a buyer’s imagination.